The Owl Project

A rare Unicorn Owl is spotted near Possum Lodge, threatening a taxidermy shootout and any more hunting or fishing.

Cast (in order of appearance):, , , , , , , , ,

Segments: Red's Campfire Songs, Meet Your Member, Handyman Corner, Red's Advice To Teenagers, Harold's Announcements, Red's Visits with Possum Lodge Members, Male Call, Adventures With Bill, Red's Poetry

DVD: Red Green Stuffed and Mounted, Vol. 2; Red Green – The Toddlin' Years

Watch the episode on YouTube

DVD Commentary by Steve Smith
{from Stuffed and Mounted}

STEVE SMITH: This show is from our fourth season. Uh, that year, we titled every show, "The Something Project". This one's called "The Owl Project". Don't really remember why we did that. I do remember, though, that every one started with me standing on a dock. And we shot these up in Muskoka, which is a cottage area north of Toronto. We shot them about 5:30 or six in the morning, so that's actually the sun coming up there, and, um... But the thing that struck me from this episode was the duck bl– the handyman duck blind thing. Uh, we actually used to shoot most of the "Handymans", if not all the "Handymans", in the studio, and when we wanted to do something with a car, we would bring the car in there. And it was just such a hassle, because not only does the car leak gas and oil and it's dangerous and everybody's insurance is void, but we were shooting in Hamilton, Ontario, and getting a car in was difficult, because you had to, y'know, go around corners and, I think, upstairs. No, no, no, just we did have to go around corners with that. And then, after we had done maybe five or six times, somebody suggested, "Why don't you shoot the car stuff outdoors?" It was probably a woman.

Segment Summary
See also: Transcript

Plot: Red announces the beginning of the first annual Possum Lake Taxidermy Shootout, in which a local taxidermy shop charges people a fee to hunt stuffed animals and will give a prize to whoever shoots Thor, the Mighty Polar Bear. While the men bag trophies, Harold explains to Red that a rare unicorned owl has been spotted and tries to convince the men to cancel the shootout. In response to the interference from this development, Red and his pals start dressing up as animals to try and scare the owl away. In the end, conservationists take the owl elsewhere to find a mate, the shootout is declared a success, and Red ends up with a ticket from the government for shooting a police car.

Opening Scene: Red feels that the monotony of day-to-day life seems to go away when you shoot at a target.

Red's Campfire Songs: Red wishes he was a racehorse.

Meet Your Member: Mike Hamar is officially welcomed to Possum Lodge.

Handyman Corner: Red turns an old car into a duck blind.

Red's Advice To Teenagers: Red shares his views about teens getting their bodies pierced.

Harold's Announcements #1: A set of bagpipes is being sold.

Visit With Ranger Gord: Gord explains how to identify animals by their dung.

Male Call: Red and Harold try to answer a letter from a fan with very bad handwriting.

Adventures With Bill: Bill plays basketball with Red and Harold.

Harold's Announcements #2: An AMC Pacer is being sold.

Visit With Buzz Sherwood: Buzz is covering his plane with pillow feathers to lure the unicorned owl away.

Red's Poetry: "Figure Skating".

Explanations

 * A stud farm is an establishment for selective breeding of livestock. The word "stud" comes from the Old English "stod", which means "herd of horses, place where horses are kept for breeding".
 * The term "Like shooting fish in a barrel" is a euphemism that means "an effortless or simple action, with guaranteed success".
 * To "have a bird" is a slang term meaning, "to have a fit".

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first appearance of Mike Hamar.

Inside References

 * During Male Call, the letter sender makes a reference to a "hand glitter" that "Boil" tried to "fry". The sender was most likely referring to Bill's adventure in Lake Regulations, where he makes a hang glider out of a pup tent.

Real-World References

 * Land Rover is a British car manufacturer which specializes in four-wheel-drive vehicles.

Fast Forward

 * Mike would again be the subject of "Meet Your Member" in Damn You Emu.